Research reveals that hypertension or elevated blood pressure is usually genetic. However, a person’s lifestyle also has an impact on pressure levels. Another key to living healthy is proper diet. Most people know sodium doesn’t do blood pressure any good, but there are plenty of other foods to be mindful of to keep blood pressure numbers within normal.
Good Eats For Normal Blood Pressure
Sodium levels should stay down and potassium levels need to be kept up. A healthy potassium-to-sodium ratio means your blood pressure is also healthy. Low potassium causes the body to hang on to more sodium, translating to high pressure.
Three foods providing loads of potassium are bananas, soybeans and baked white potatoes. Get potassium from the food and not so much the supplements. Potassium levels can spike real high real quick, throwing off the body’s electrolyte imbalance. The heart is in for some serious trouble if this happens.
People need to set their sights on foods that are rich in magnesium. Unsalted sunflower seeds, various beans and spinach are common examples of foods high in magnesium. The magnesium macro-mineral helps lower as well as maintain healthy blood pressure readings. What’s more, the foods mentioned above also serve up lots of potassium so it’s a win-win all around.
Another food item that helps achieve healthy blood pressure is dark chocolate. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that consuming a tiny dark chocolate morsel, around half of an ounce, was linked to reduced blood pressure, but minus any weight gain or other negative effects. There’s finally a type of health food people will be more than glad to put in their mouths.
Fish is the in thing to eat these days. Omega 3 madness has hit practically everywhere on the planet. This really isn’t surprising, since most countries across the world base their food diet on fresh fruits and veggies and fresh fish. The people of these nations frequently have the healthiest inhabitants.
Fresh fish – especially the fatty fish have Omega 3 fatty acids known as EPA and DHA that are both extremely heart-friendly. Besides lowering blood pressure, Omega 3 also has the capability of stopping and even reversing anginas. But before going on an all-tuna diet, there’s something you should know. Tuna is associated with high levels of mercury. Limit eating fresh tuna just once a week. You could also try wild fish as with salmon, as these were fished out of clean waters.
Eggs have dipped in popularity in recent years owing to cholesterol concerns. Regardless of the bad rap eggs have received, they’re still a cheap resource for high-quality protein and many other nutrients.
Some studies say that specific egg proteins could have effects that resemble those of ACE inhibitors. The ACE inhibitors are prescription medication for treating raised blood pressure. A bunch of scientists learned that enzymes in the small intestine and stomach generate peptides from the eggs. Interestingly, the fried eggs registered the highest ACE inhibitory action.
Jerry Hanover is medical doctor specializing in dealing with issues concerning hypertension and blood pressure.
Related Blogs
- Introduction to High Blood Pressure
- What is normal blood pressure and makes it depending on the movement and other activities?
